The Japanese guitarist, Azusa Shimizu, studied first French literature in Tokyo. She moved then to Europe where she lived from 1984 to 1995. While in France, she undertook musical studies at the National Conservatory in Nice, in La Courneuve and Boulognesur-Mer, and in Copenhagen at the Royal Academy. She is a Laureate artist from the Palme d Or in Italy, and was a participant in the Tokyo International Guitar Competition in 1991.

Azusa Shimizu is an active recitalist, having made critically acclaimed appearances throughout Japan, as well as in France, Belgium, Denmark and Taiwan.